Social Media: Tap One of the Most Effective Job Search Tools
Back in the day, looking for a job meant searching the vacancy section in the newspaper or going from company to company asking if they were hiring. There were no online job boards and no LinkedIn to connect with professionals in your field. Nowadays, social media has made the job market much more accessible and competitive. You can harness it to find a job, but using it the wrong way could cost you employment opportunities, so it’s important to know how to handle your public profiles.
The internet can help you land a job either through online job boards or social media networks. Online job search sites list openings and often direct you to the company’s website to apply. It’s up to you to determine whether you’re a good enough fit. Social media, on the other hand, helps you build up your resume and credentials so you can land the perfect job. It allows you to foster relationships with influential people in your field and provide additional information that you can’t fit into your resume.
Combining online job portals and social media networks can greatly increase your chances of getting hired. Not sure how to use social media in your job search? Get coaching from our experts.
Online job search sites
Monster and Indeed are job search websites that allow companies to post vacant positions. They’re a great way to find new employment opportunities, and they even have a system that lets you create and send a resume directly to the company. While this is a convenient tool, it’s not the most effective one because your resume probably won’t stand out and may get shoved to the side. That’s not to say it should be flashy, colorful, or creative (it definitely shouldn’t), but using the generic resume creator on a job board suggests laziness to the hiring manager.
You can have great success with these job search sites, but relying solely on them can result in frustration, especially if you’re arbitrarily applying to every job that you deem interesting. Sometimes, recruiters may not even look at the template-based resumes from these sites. For better results, pick a job opening and then go to the company’s website to apply directly with your personalized resume.
Social media networks
There are three main social media sites that can bolster your job search if used correctly. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be your best friends when you’re hunting for a job. A word of caution: Facebook and Twitter in particular can be a double-edged sword, so it’s important to know how to use them professionally.
Most people think Facebook is just a site that lets you stay connected with high school or college friends. While keeping people in touch is Facebook’s main purpose, there’s so much more to it. For example, the Groups feature allows you to join specific communities, including industry groups where you can connect with others in your field. Some of those groups even post vacancies that may not be advertised elsewhere online.
New employment opportunities are just one of the benefits. Joining professional groups also allows you to network in much the same way as you do on LinkedIn. Many employers even search for groups related to their companies and recruit through them, so write all your comments with that in mind.
Moreover, many companies have their own Facebook page. Search these pages for any job postings, and keep in mind that potential employers will scope out your Facebook profile. If you use this platform as a professional tool, delete any pictures, posts, and comments that could ruin your chances of getting hired. At the very least, change your privacy settings so that only your Facebook friends can view certain content. If your friends have tagged you in publicly posted unflattering photos, be sure to remove the tags.
Similar to Facebook, Twitter gives you access to job postings. Keep in mind that Twitter is a place where people go to voice their thoughts. Recruiters are interested in what you post. If you just talk about video games or your food choices for dinner, they’ll cast you aside because your profile fails to indicate any professional or intellectual worth. Also, if you use Twitter to lash out at people whose political opinions differ from yours, hiring managers won’t touch you with a 10-foot pole. Focus on sharing thoughts related to your field of interest. Seeing your passion shows recruiters you’re dedicated to your career.
One difference between Facebook and Twitter is that the latter allows you to create a username. When using Twitter for professional purposes, going with your name is the best choice. If you also want to post on Twitter in a personal capacity, it’s best to simply run multiple accounts—one for your video game progress, dinners, and political bickering and one for your sharp professional insights.
LinkedIn is generally the most effective social media platform because it’s a professional development site. It allows recruiters to see your qualifications and expertise, so it’s specifically designed to give you an edge in the professional realm. You have the opportunity to research companies with LinkedIn accounts and find out what they’re looking for, as well as what their values and corporate culture are like. It’s more than just a job search site—in fact, its primary purpose is to help you connect with recruiters, peers, and groups related to your field.
Another benefit of LinkedIn is the opportunity to strengthen your credentials. You need more than just your resume to land the perfect job, so build your profile and don’t leave anything out! Any piece of information that shows how qualified you are for a particular position should be in your LinkedIn profile. Since you don’t have the space limitations that apply to a resume, you can share all the details you’d like a recruiter to know. You can also connect with other professionals by sending them invitations.
One of the greatest benefits of LinkedIn connections is that they can leave you recommendations. If people recommend you, recruiters can see how valuable you could be to their company and may be more apt to hire you. Recommendations can be worth more than the information you put on your profile since they act as third-party verifications of your value.
There are many more features on LinkedIn that can bring you to the attention of recruiters. If you’re not familiar with this platform, start exploring it! With hundreds of millions of users, LinkedIn is an incredible tool for boosting your job search efforts.
The evolution of social media has truly transformed the job search, making it far easier and much more efficient. Online job boards can be of great help, but social media networks are the most effective way to find employment, so learn how to use them to land the position you’ve always wanted! If you’re still struggling with navigating social media, especially LinkedIn, let our experts help!
